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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Speaking at the inauguration of a fish festival in Mumbai, India's Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, singled out the State of Maharashtra for registering negative growth in the aquaculture sector, and called on the State government to undertake policy initiatives to rectify the situation.

Mr Pawar speaking at the three-day National Fish Festival at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai stated “The national growth rate in fish production was 6 per cent. West Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu had surged ahead of Maharashtra, which posted negative growth,”

All these States have submitted proposals to the Hyderabad-based National Fisheries Development Board to avail the benefits announced by the Centre for fish cultivation, but that was not enough, Mr. Pawar said. “Merely writing letters was not enough, one has to submit detailed project reports,” he went on to say. Read more...

Ghana's Deputy Food and Agriculture Minister, Nii Amasah Namoale, has pledged to halt his country's growing shortfall of fish. The Ghanaian government imports more than US$2 million worth of fish annually to make up the shortfall.

Mr Namoale attributed the country's diminishing fish resources on the falling stocks in both inland and marine waters in the face of rising demand from consumers.

Speaking at in inaugural meeting of the Ghana Aquaculture Association (GAA) in Accra he said reducing the wage bill associated with fish imports as a priority, along with pursuing a policy of aquaculture modernization and development.

Monday, December 27, 2010

With the poignant environmental message "Plan A...because there is no Plan B" Marks and Spencer, one of the UK's largest retailers, is putting it's money where it's mouth is by joining forces with the Scottish Aquacultural Forum (SARF) to look at the potential to use seaweed and microalgae as commercially viable sources of raw materials to feed fish.

Mark James, a spokesman for SARF, said: “The use of seaweeds and other algae could help to reduce reliance on traditional sources of raw materials for aquaculture diets. There is also some evidence to suggest that they may have other important properties relevant to fish health and welfare. The fact that seaweeds would largely be cultivated at sea means that there would be no competition for valuable arable land or freshwater resources.

Richard Luney, the Wild Fish and Aquaculture Manager from Marks and Spencer said: “As part of our Plan A environmental and ecological initiatives we have committed to sourcing all of our aquaculture species and feeds from the most sustainable sources by 2015. By supporting the SARF project we aim to understand the potential for algae to supplement our aquaculture feeds with ingredients that have the potential to provide essential health benefits to our customers whilst taking some of the pressure off wild fish sources.” Read more...

Less than 10% of all consumed fish is commercially produced in Botswana, but if Lotanna Nzgew, one of the country's leading aquaculture consultants is right, that low figure is about to grow dramatically.Lotanna contends that Botswana is far better placed than many African countries,including neighbours Zambia and Namibia to sustain a commercially viable fish farming industry.

The demand for table fish is very high, a fact that is borne out by the increasingly high rate of fish smuggling that is now taking place; notably from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Lotanna highlights a number of plus points for potential investors when asked if Botswana is really suitable for aquaculture,or indeed suitable for commercial fish production. " The answer to both questions is a resounding YES! Botswana, for sure, has a semi-arid climate with the inherent factors of low annual rainfall, high temperature, high evaporation rate and largely loose soil texture. But advances in aquacultural technology have taken adequate care of all these problems" . Read more...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Central American countries have received a massive financial boost from the Taiwanese government to grow aquaculture projects in the region. The funding,amounting to US$641million, is the second tranche of a long term programme to support the integration of fisheries and aquaculture in Central America.
Taiwan has considerable global experience of implementing, developing and organizing aquaculture based fisheries. Natural conditions are broadly similar throughout Central American countries, making it a sound investment base for the Taiwanese.
Broadly, the project aims to promote sustainable artisanal aquaculture fisheries in the region and is being overseen by the Organization for the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector of Central America (Ospesca), a member of SICA ,the Central American Integration System. Read more...

Indian aquaculture shrimp exports appear to be firmly back on track after several years of slow or stagnant growth, shrimp exports from India have notched up good growth during the first seven months of the current financial year,ending in March 2011.

Back as the most significant consumer and showing a marked export trend reversal is the USA,helping market growth despite exports to some markets such as the European Union showing a small decline.

Compared to the same period of the last financial year shrimp exports were higher by 8% in volume, 27% in rupee terms and 34% in dollar terms.

IQF shrimps are very important to Indian seafood exports and now constitute almost half of all seafood exports. Read more...

Firstly today, a Merry Christmas from all of us here at International Aquafeed and the Aquaculturists.We hope you have a happy and peaceful day,we will endeavour to keep you informed of all the latest aquaculture news during the festive season.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The aquaculture industry in Spain is varied and rather well-developed with a total production of 292,575 tonnes and a value of €532 million in 2007, writes Lara Barazi-Yeroulanos, FAO Consultant. The main species produced in terms of volume are the blue mussel, rainbow trout, gilthead seabream and European seabass, although there are a number of other species being successfully cultured on a commercial basis.

Table 3 – Spain: Aquaculture production (tonnes)

Source: MedAquaMarket national country report

Like most aquaculture producers in the Mediterranean, the first farms were for the culture of trout in freshwater as early as 1961. The main cultured species in Spain is the blue mussel with an annual production of over 250,000 tonnes. Some of the earliest farms for the production of marine finfish in the Mediterranean started in Spain in 1973. Spain is now the third most important producer of European seabass and gilthead seabream in Europe with a combined annual production of 32,800 tonnes in 2007. The development of the aquaculture industry when viewed as a whole shows no clear trend as some sectors have stagnated or declined while others have shown a stable and increasing trend. Read more...

Their wide acceptance as an excellent food fish and their high market value has led to over-harvesting of wild stocks especially in the South Atlantic US coast. Increased awareness of the status of the black sea bass populations, coupled with high market value and demand, has led to an interest in the development of culture technologies for commercial production. Reliable protocols for spawning and larval rearing of black sea bass are already established.

At UNCW, a team of researchers lead by Dr Wade O. Watanabe, is developing nursery and grow-out technologies for producing marketable fish in recirculating aquaculture systems. Nutrition and diet development are critical components of their research. Black sea bass grow rapidly when fed prepared feeds consisting largely of marine feedstuffs such as menhaden fish meal or natural foods such as live tilapia. The future potential for limited availability and rising cost of fish meal and live tilapia limit their application in future practical diets. Read more...

Farm-raised catfish processed during November 2010 totaled 36.7 million pounds round weight, up one percent from November 2009. The average price paid to producers was US84.1 cents per pound for November 2010, up US0.9 cent from last month and US7.6 cents above a year ago.National Agricultural Statistics Service

Net pounds of processed fish sold during November 2010 totaled 15.9 million pounds, up one percent from the comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 5.60 million pounds, were down six per cent from November 2009 and represented 35 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 10.3 million pounds, were up six percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 65 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 62 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory increased 14 percent from last month but was down 16 percent from a year ago.

The total fresh and frozen average price for November 2010 was US$2.56, up five cents from a year ago. The November 2010 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was US$2.47 per pound, up eight cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were US$1.61 per pound, up four cents from November 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 14 cents from a year ago at US$3.32 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged US$2.61 per pound, up three cents from November 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up five cents at US$2.23 and frozen fillets at US$3.04 per pound were up nine cents from a year ago. Read more...

The centre will focus on the production of new medicines, monitor and control resistance, develop novel immune controls as well as reduce the initial attachment of sea lice. A key deliverable will be to provide additional tools for effective integrated pest management of sea lice on salmon production sites. Read more...

An international group of aquaculture experts attended the workshop from 6th to 9th December 2010, to discuss current practice and to contribute to development of a future framework for global aquaculture carrying capacity and site selection. This was done against the backdrop of the aquaculture industry needing to increase production globally, by 30 million tonnes in the next 40 years to meet demand, in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable way. The effort also coincided with the recent publication of the FAO document on an Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA).

Over the past five years, production of fish in the Peruvian Amazon has increased sixfold, while fish consumption increased by over 300 per cent, according to a report by the Institute for Amazonian Research (IIAP). The development of aquaculture was the main cause for this substantial growth in production, which increased from 2.5 million fish five years ago to a total of over 15 million fish this year.

Luis Campos, president of the IIAP, predicts that "in the coming years, production can easily increase to 60 million fish per year due to the development of new investment in the country's Amazon region," he told the news agency Andina. The main species produced in the region are: gamitada, paco, boquichico, tilapia, yaraquí, carp, sabalo and paiche. The head of IIAP also reported that per capita consumption of fish in the Peruvian Amazon rose by 9 kilos in the last five years, rising from an annual average of four kilos to 13 kilos. Read more..

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Aquaculture Biosecurity: Prevention, Control and Eradication of Aquatic Animal Disease

ISBN 978-0-8138-0539-9

In 2006 'Aquaculture Biosecurity' was published and edited by A. David Scarfe, Cheng-Sheng Lee and Patricia J. O'Bryen. A book dedicated to the understanding of aquatic animal disease and one that deals the prevention, control and eradication of aquatic disease. Each editor is a specialist in their respective field.

In Chapter one Eva-Marie Bernoth deals with aquaculture biosecurity looking at the views and approaches of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) a governmental organisation created in 1924. In March 2004 it had 166 member countries. Within its mandate under the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), its role is to safeguard world trade by publishing health standards for international trade in animals and animal products. The main normative works produced by the OIE for aquatic animals are the Aquatic Animal Health Code and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals.

Chapter two written by Rohana P. Subasinghe and Melba G. Bondad-Reantaso, looks at biosecurity in aquaculture. This chapter describes the role of biosecurity for reducing disease risks and the opportunities and challenges for developing countries. Biosecurity provides a strategic framework and integrated approach to assess and manage the risks that threaten food safety, animal life and health, plant life and health and associated environmental perils. Through an example from a recent study conducted in controlling disease in shrimp aquaculture in India.

Chapter three written by C.V. Mohan and Melba G. Bondad-Reantaso describes the regional approach to aquatic animal health management-views and programs of the network of aquaculture centres in the Asia-Pacific, with 16 member countries; as well as promoting rural development and sustainable aquaculture through responsible trade in aquaculture products. Also addressing animal health issues through proactive cooperation's

In later chapters Canada's approach to aquatic biosecurity, the US Fish & Wildlife service approaches and Wisconsin's veterinary approaches to fish health. Harmonized, standardised, and flexible national frameworks for ensuring diagnostic data and test result validity: A critical need for aquatic animal health diagnostic systems and for biosecurity in aquaculture, also disinfectants and disinfection and aquatic animal health surveillance.

This book is a collaboration of many authors from many disciplines all working towards the achievement of good animal health and to reduce disease and eventually prevent infections and the spread of aquatic disease. Well written with considerable insight into the subject. This in my opinion is one of the most important books written for aquaculture in the world today. A must have text for student and teachers as well as aquatic scientists and anyone working in aquaculture. Definitely one for the bookcase.

UK-based Wood & Douglas has developed a monitoring system that enables fish farmers to look after the welfare of their stocks and their on-growing environment while away from farm sites. Low-dissolved oxygen levels are responsible for more fish farm kills than all other problems combined. Should oxygen levels drop, Wood & Douglas’ Ultima GSM, a rugged wireless telemetry module, can be configured to send out alerts to one or more mobile phones and/or email accounts.

The environmental status can then be monitored via phone or an internet webpage, and uniquely, sending a text remotely initiates digital outputs which can be used to adjust heating and cooling systems or respond to changes in the chemical balance of the water. The Ultima GSM unit houses a quad-band GSM/GPRS module. Four digital inputs allow connections to a range of environmental sensors for monitoring temperatures, levels of dissolved gases such oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, as well as levels of ammonia or changes in pH.

It can deliver regular status updates, or be polled with a status request at any time by simply sending the unit an SMS message. Read more...

Fisheries authorities, scientists and the aquaculture sector have agreed that measuring "carbon footprint" is a useful tool for the traceability of aquaculture products, which would allow the industry to transmit their commitment to the environment to the consumer.

The second factor required to enhance the added value is "creating new avenues of research for breeding fish," he said. The Director of Fisheries stressed the importance of unifying the criteria through dialogue and consensus, to measure the "carbon footprint" in aquaculture. This measurement is the tool that will analyze carbon dioxide emissions, which according to popular opinion, can lead to the greenhouse effect. Polanco said that the industry can use tools such as product labeling to highlight its commitment to environmental issues. Read more...

Environmental Defence Society Chairman Gary Taylor is concerned about the timing of the public submission period on proposed marine farming in the Coromandel New Zealand. On December 17 the Ministry of Fisheries released a consultation document aiming to engage the public on a proposal to amend the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan to remove the prohibition on new aquaculture in a defined 300 hectare zone in the Hauraki Gulf.

“Under the proposal, applications for fish farming would be allowed to be lodged in the proposed zone, which is located in the south eastern Hauraki Gulf, west of the Coromandel township,” says Gary. The proposed zone is located along a direct navigation route from Waiheke Island to Coromandel harbour. The submission period closes on February 9, 2011.

“EDS considers this time period does not provide an adequate opportunity for public participation, in what is a complex issue, with effects on a wide range of activities in the coastal marine area including boating and fishing,” says Gary. “The ministry has not followed a fair process in setting this unrealistic and unreasonable submission period. Read more...

The global standards for pangasius aquaculture were finalised in August 2010. The ASC, a non-profit organisation founded in 2009 by the WWF and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative, is expected to start labelling products that qualify from mid-2011. As part of the MoU, WWF will be responsible for developing a global market for Vietnam's ASC-certified tra, which can be sold at higher prices. The organisation will also help Vietnamese pangasius products obtain ASC labelling. Read more...

Monday, December 20, 2010

The culture of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in Indonesia has been devastated by WSSV since 2000 but hopes arise that culture of this species will have a great comeback. Nowadays, broodstock which are free of WSSV has already been developed. The larvae produced from them is also of good quality. With an aquaculture system using polyculture, shrimp culture is even more environmental friendly and able to produce healthy shrimp in culture conditions.

Balai Budidaya Air Payau (BBAP) Takalar, Sulawesi Selatan has succeded in screening Black Tiger Shrimp which are free of these virus. The broodstocks are obtained from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Takalar and Gorontalo through intensive screening. Through these procedures, shrimp are free of disease. Sugeng Rahardjo, the head of BBAP Takalar, Sabtu, said their is a stigma that exists which claims Black Tiger shrimp could not be able to be cultured any more but through recent developments these objective statements are questioned. Read more...

CERMAQ, the Norway-based owner of Mainstream and EWOS, has signed a joint venture agreement with a Vietnamese partner, Anova Corporation. This means that Cermaq will be able to become involved in the Vietnamese feed market through its feed company, EWOS. Cermaq now owns 51 percent of the shares in the joint venture company. Cermaq will control the Board of Directors and the management team. Mr. Rune Vamråk, supply chain director of the Norwegian company EWOS AS, has been appointed as general manager for the company.

The agreement allows EWOS to enter the feed market for farmed Pangasius. The broad competence the company has within salmonids can be successfully transferred to Pangasius, a white fish that has enjoyed tremendous market growth in Europe and the US over the last decade. Pangasius eats feed made mainly from plants, and can supply significant volumes of animal protein to the global food market.

The venture partner Anova Corporation is established in Vietnam with a plant in the Long Anh province. The plant which will be transferred to the joint venture company as a part of the transaction has an annual capacity of 85,000 tonnes. EWOS Vietnam has considerable ambitions for the Vietnamese market and the goal is to utilize the full capacity of the plant within the first operating year. The company has engaged the highly esteemed Pangasius expert Mr. Serene, for the initial phase of market building. Read more...

The laboratory of marine fish production of the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (Cicese) carried out tests for juveniles of yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi), which was supported by the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries (Conapesca) projected to reach a production of 40,000 juveniles next year.

Benjamín Barón Sevilla, researcher at the Aquaculture Department of Cicese, who along with Juan Pablo Lazo Corvera was in charge of the laboratory of marine fish production since its inception in 2005, explained that after experimenting with species such as sole and totoaba years earlier, in 2010 conducted the first tests of mackerel larval culture.

The researchers explained that they leaned towards the production of this species, also known as dorado, because it has high demand in the U.S. market and there is a possibility of exporting it to Japan. Cicese signed an agreement with the Conapesca for which they received MXN 1 million (US$ 80,000) and undertook to produce 40,000 youth during 2011. Read more...

Dr. Westly Rosario, NIFTDC chief, and researcher Editha Roxas said studies on silver perch started with few stocks donated to the center by a private company. The fish was first cultured in concrete tanks, then in earthen ponds for the growing out trials with other species like tilapia, catfish and common carps.

Latest report stated the progenies produced by the researchers from the few initial stocks are now being developed into breeders that will lay eggs and when they will mature into fingerlings would be dispersal in inland bodies of water soon. Read more...

Aquaculture New Zealand has welcomed the establishment of an Aquaculture Ministerial Advisory Panel to consult with the public on a proposal to establish a new marine farming zone in Coromandel. Aquaculture New Zealand chief executive Mike Burrell said it was encouraging to see the government working in partnership with the regional council to explore opportunities for ecologically sustainable and appropriately sited aquaculture.

“A new aquaculture zone will provide an exciting opportunity for developing a sustainable finfish farming industry in the Coromandel, creating jobs and bringing growth to the Waikato region,” Mr Burrell said. “The waters off the Coromandel are ideal for marine farming, and the establishment of an aquaculture zone will help the sector to develop in a sustained and sustainable way in the area.” Read more...

New Brunswick (NB) based Cooke Aquaculture intends to construct a fish processing facility in Nova Scotia´s (NS) Shelburne County as part of its CAD$150 million (US$ 149.2 million) expansion scheme in the province. The plant will have a capacity to process 40 million lb of salmon annually and should be running by 2013, according to company spokesperson Chuck Brown.

However, the company must first strengthen its production in NS. Cooke now runs nine salmon-focused aquaculture farms there and has filed applications for four more in the Shelburne and Digby areas.

Brown said the new farms in Digby could be operational by the spring and that the new Shelburne farms will probably open in the subsequent spring. This added salmon production would help Cooke justify its construction of the processing facility. Read more...

Kenya is increasingly becoming a learning centre for development of aquaculture in East Africa. Under the Economic Stimulus Programme, some Ksh3 billion (US$37.5 million) has been put into the sector creating what has become a case study as the world struggles with dwindling fish stocks amid growing demand.

Addressing the Lake Naivasha Basin Investment Conference in Mwanza, Tanzania, Harrison Charo-Karisa, the chairman of Aquaculture Development Working Group and coordinator aquaculture research with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) disclosed that in the 2009/10 financial year, the government injected Ksh 1.12 billion (US$14 million) into implement the Fish Farming Enterprise Productivity Economic Stimulus Programme.

Under the programme, a national aquaculture suitability appraisal was conducted and suitability maps developed for each of the 210 constituencies, and over 9.5 million hectares of land was found highly suitable for aquaculture. Read more..

"We are pleased to support this important conference which will gather experts from Canada and around the world to exchange the latest science and technology information and to advance shellfish safety." The conference is expected to attract over 200 experts and industry officials to Prince Edward Island. It will feature such topics as:

New economic data has revealed the increasing importance of salmon farming to the economy and an extremely high level of confidence within the sector. Entitled ‘Scottish Salmon Farming – Industry Research Report’, the survey highlights the creation of 234 new jobs, UK£29.5million capital investment and UK£296 million expenditure on suppliers and services, as well as an extremely positive economic mood in the inaugural Salmon Business Confidence Survey.

Completed by 95 per cent of salmon production, the industry representative body Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) has said the research is an authoritative measure of the increasing economic contribution made by salmon farmers. Scott Landsburgh, Chief Executive of SSPO said: “The research results are a major boost for the sector and the remote, rural communities that depend on a successful, sustainable and profitable salmon industry.

“The sector is enjoying an upward trend. The contribution to the economy is increasing in many ways. For example, over the last three years there has been a 55 percent leap in the direct value to communities through the rising contribution of salaries, which was bolstered by the creation of 234 new jobs in the last year,” added Mr Landsburgh. Read more...

Both government regulators and the Canadian salmon aquaculture industry face ongoing pressure to reduce the industry’s potentially adverse effects on the surrounding natural aquatic environment. One option currently being considered is “closed-containment,” a practice that involves enclosing fish in floating containers or land-based farms to minimise their impact on nearby waters.

Closed-containment can include a range of technologies and operating environments from ocean to land-based production systems with varying degrees of isolation from the environment. Typically, the more “closed” a system is, the more complex its management becomes, since its energy requirements are greater and waste can be more of an issue.

In 2008, the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) published a report entitled Potential Technologies for Closed-containment Saltwater Salmon Aquaculture. That report identified a need to analyze closed-containment technologies, and included economic recommendations. The goal of the current study is to use financial analysis tools to respond to the CSAS report. This study is therefore limited to financial considerations. Read more...

A Highland seafood company which transports West Coast live shellfish worldwide is not letting the winter weather stop it from cooking up new business. Scot West Seafoods has been selling live langoustines, lobsters, shrimps and other species of shellfish from the seas around the Isle of Skye, Western Isles and the West Coast of Scotland to a predominantly Spanish market since 2003. With the support of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) it has been looking at how processing its own products will allow it to target high end retail and restaurant markets.

The business, which employs around 30 staff, is managed by Director Donnie Grant and financial manager Debbie Billington. It has bases in Kyle, Harris and the Uists. "We usually transport from Scotland to a number of international airports. The weather has meant we have had to be flexible about the route but we are delighted we have continued to supply our customers, including taking detours to available airports south of the border. Scottish seafood is very popular and regardless of the challenges winter is throwing at the UK this is an exciting time for us as we look at developing new products," said Debbie. Read more...

Two years ago, students were sent out on lobster boats to notch, and thus protect, Long Island Sound's diminishing supply of female lobsters. Then state funding for the project ran dry. This winter, the program is returning in a scaled-down fashion. Instead of students going out in search of lobsters, the lobsters will be delivered to them by lobstermen.

"It's the second generation," said John Curtis, director of the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School. He said students from Aquaculture and the Sound School in New Haven will, during the school day and in a laboratory setting, mark previously harvested female lobsters by clipping their tail and recording sizes. The clipped lobsters will then be returned to the Sound on the research vessels. The notch will ensure the lobster has a year or two to grow and reproduce before being harvested. Read more...

The two-year award will fund genetic studies and field tests of a newly developed double-hybrid Pacific oyster that the biologists believe can transform the US West Coast’s US$72-million-a-year oyster growing industry. “This research is of great interest to us,” says Jonathan Davis of Taylor Shellfish Farms, one of the region’s largest shellfish growers and a collaborator on the project. “We believe we can leverage grant resources into a new product stream of high-yielding Pacific oysters.”

The new oyster, 15 years in the making, is produced through a two-stage cross-breeding process that confers “hybrid vigour”– superior growth, size and health – to its tasty offspring, says the project’s leader, USC biology professor Dennis Hedgecock. In small-scale experiments funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the first generation hybrid oyster was shown to grow twice as fast as the industry standard, meaning that farm yields could potentially double, too. Read more...

Charles Yarish is, by his own definition, a seaweed enthusiast. Over his 35-year career, the Stamford professor of ecology and evolutionary biology has followed his marine algae instincts around the world, studying seaweeds’ relationships, their physiology, and their interactions with the world around them.

Yarish’s most recent endeavor will use seaweeds to clean up pollution from human sources, as well as waste from fish and even people. This approach, dubbed extractive aquaculture or bioextraction, promises to use the physiological properties of seaweeds and other organisms to clean up excess nutrients in polluted areas, making them healthier, more productive, and more economically viable.

“Nutrient-enriched systems can contribute to harmful algal blooms, which deplete oxygen in the water,” says Yarish. “Shellfish and seaweeds can provide good ecosystem services by extracting organic and inorganic nutrients from seawater.” Read more...

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Vietnam pangasius is on course for sustainability certification after agreement has beenreached between WWF and the Vietnamese government and fisheries authorities. WWF, the Vietnamese government and key Vietnamese industry fisheries and acquaculture bodies have reached agreement on working together to achieve certified sustainable production of pangasius in Vietnam.

The agreement was announced following a meeting between WWF Global Seafood Leader, Dr Mark Powell, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Directorate of Fisheries, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters, as well as the Vietnam Fisheries Association.As part of this agreement, and in recognition of the Vietnamese government's commitment to seeking sustainability certification of the country's pangasius production, WWF will place pangasius in a new 'Moving Towards Certification' category in its popular seafood guide. Read more...

“The rationale for development lies in its potential to increase productivity of scarce fresh water resources, enhances food security and poverty alleviation, and reduces pressure on natural resources, particularly in the drought-prone countries of West Afria… Traditional marsh aquaculture systems exist in many West African countries and should be developed further, together with fish culture in irrigation schemes”.

The representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Senegal, Amadou Ouattara, has announced that a Special Programme for Aquaculture Development in Africa (SPADA) is about to be implemented. Speaking at the opening of a training workshop on rice and aquaculture in West Africa, the FAO representative, said that creating the program, which aims to improve growth economy on the continent in rural areas, responds to the member states request of the organisation.

Thus, the representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Dakar, Okubo Hisatoshi, said the Japanese agency cooperation has decided to develop a strategy for aquaculture development, specific to the Sub-Saharan countries, and expected to be finalised in March 2011. Read more...

A British Columbia First Nation has won the right to launch a class-action lawsuit over damage to wild salmon stocks related to salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago. The Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish First Nation's (KAFN) lawsuit was launched on February 4th, 2009 and is against the British Columbia Government for devastation of their aboriginal fishing rights allegedly caused by open net-cage salmon farming in their Territories.

Wild salmon are fundamental to the cultural and spiritual integrity of the aboriginal people in the Broughton Archipelago and to the ecological integrity of their Territory. When juvenile pink and chum salmon migrate out to the open ocean, they must run a gauntlet of open net-cage salmon farms, densely stocked with Atlantic salmon, which are breeding grounds for parasitic sea lice and disease. Read more...

One of the world's largest indoor fish farms is getting ready to get bigger. Blue Ridge Aquaculture in Martinsville currently produces 4 million pounds of tilapia a year. Right now, they're looking for investors to expand. Bill Martin, CEO, says that in another two or three years, they plan on opening another facility that will produce 10 million pounds of tilapia a year. That would mean about 100 jobs for the area.

Martin says tilapia is growing quickly in popularity. He believes farming fish is the safest way to raise them. "It is a very white bland flaky meat. It's exactly what people that don't like fish like," he said. " "In Alaska, you hear it all the time, the difference between a farm raised salmon and a wild caught Alaskan salmon in the pure waters of the north, which is a bunch of hooey." The fish are fed a high protein diet. He says they're also looking into feeding them algae, which would help increase omega 3s in the fish. Read more...

An incurable herpes-like virus is behind the widespread deaths of juvenile Pacific oysters in upper North Island marine farms, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has confirmed. That is going to have a huge financial impact, with farmers bracing for a huge drop in crop numbers and an impact on their sales next year. The NZ$30 million oyster farming industry disclosed last week that it had been experiencing big losses of juvenile oysters over November and early December.

Marine pathologists at MAF used molecular tests and DNA sequencing to show the presence of ostreid herpes virus-1 (OsHV-1) in samples from affected oyster farms, and MAF response manager Richard Norman said it was possible the die-off had been due to a range of factors, triggered by unusually warm water temperatures. Elevated water temperatures may be potentiating or kicking off the effect in the small oysters that are affected," he said.

Ostreid herpes viruses are known to affect not only oysters but also clams, scallops, and other molluscs, according to French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea pathology lab director Tristan Renault. He has suggested in Europe that global warming could be an explanation of the appearance of this particular type of the virus. Read more...

In accordance with Canada’s Environment Assessment Act, the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) has registered with Transport Canada its opposition to allowing the introduction into St. Mary’s Bay of sea cages that will contain one million salmon. “Our concern is focused on the risk that aquaculture in this area would impose on endangered wild Atlantic salmon populations," said Lewis Hinks, Director of Nova Scotia Programs for ASF.

The report also confirmed the endangered status of Inner Bay of Fundy (IBoF) salmon populations, which were listed in 2003. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) cites the “negative effects of interbreeding or ecological interactions with escaped domestic salmon from fish farms” as being key threats to endangered wild salmon populations.

Research indicates that escaped farmed salmon do enter rivers and spawn with wild salmon, which results in the progeny being less able to undertake and survive the rigors of migration, which could contribute to the loss of wild runs,” said Jonathan Carr, ASF’s Director of Research and the Environment. “The aquaculture industry recently reported an escape of 33,000 farmed salmon from a cage site off Grand Manan, which is located in New Brunswick directly across from St. Mary’s Bay," continued Hinks. Read more...

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A six-member World Wide Fund for Nature delegation led by its global seafood coordinator Mark Powell began discussions with Vietnamese aquaculture officials Wednesday about the assessment and classification standards used for Vietnamese catfish. The visitors will explain the technical issues involved in moving Vietnamese tra from the yellow list (products that can be considered for use) to the red list in its 2010-2011 guidance manual for consumers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, and Demark.

The fisheries industry association Monday demanded an apology from the WWF for labeling Vietnamese tra as harmful. “We have looked over WWF’s 19 criteria carefully and found they are inaccurate and lack evidence,” Nguyen Viet Thang, the chairman of Vietnam Fisheries Association said. “These assessments focus solely on certain facts like the impacts of breeding tra on the environment.” The Foreign Ministry had demanded last week that WWF members in a number of European countries remove Vietnamese tra catfish from their red list.

Vietnam has begun to strictly regulate the seafood processing industry and widely applies the highest international standards for aquaculture, ensuring food hygiene and safety and environmental protection are on a par with international standards. Read more...

The Municipality of Shelburne welcomed an announcement by Cooke Aquaculture that they have selected the Shelburne area as the site for their next value added processing facility, net and cage repair facility, and feed warehouse distribution facility. The project represents a direct investment of approximately CAD$150 million and the creation of approximately 350 year round full – time jobs. This project will also result in an estimated CAD$32 million in payroll and an additional 640 indirect jobs.

The Municipality of Shelburne has been working quietly with the company in the past several months to ensure that Cooke had all of the necessary information to develop their business case for a facility in Shelburne. Representatives from the Municipality and the Town of Shelburne visited Cooke head office in New Brunswick several months ago and have had steady dialogue with senior members of the Cooke executive team on an ongoing basis. Read more...

Half of the country’s tropical fish come from Florida, much of the fish raised in the Bay area. That industry, however, is being threatened by the extreme cold weather according to Ron Connor, who owns Connor Farms Tropical Fish in Plant City, the fish are in danger when the outside temperature reaches 40 degrees. As the temperature drops even farther, many of the fish will die. For example, during last year’s freeze, Connor lost 90 percent of the eight million fish he has spread across 250 ponds on the farm.

That would cripple an industry already struggling because of the economy. Fish farmers have also lost business as young people grow more interested in electronics and less interested in having fish as pets, Connor said. Connor has covered his outdoor ponds with plastic to keep the water warm. However, the wind often rips the plastic off. He has also moved some of the fish indoors, although there is not nearly enough space to house most of the fish. Read more...

It has been a good year for the province's aquaculture industry. The Executive Director with the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association, Miranda Pryor, says salmon production reached 13,000 tons this year, which is an increase over 2009. She says the province also has two new hatcheries: one in Stephenville and one in St. Alban's, plus a new aquaculture animal health facility for veterinarians in St. Alban's.

Pryor says the mussel industry had a good year, but there are still challenges to be met in developing markets. She indicated they are working on new initiatives to expand the mussel industry in the United States, for example. There are currently four species farmed sustainably in Newfoundland and Labrador: Blue mussels, Atlantic salmon, Steelhead trout and Atlantic cod. Our sites employ the latest technologies from around the world and our companies are committed to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Read more...

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission is trying something new to expand the ecologically beneficial farming of oysters and clams on state-owned water bottoms. In January, the comission is expected to approve the creation of 15 new Aquaculture Opportunity Zones. The zones identified through extensive, on-site Commission inspections are located on hard bottom, in clean shallow waters that are without underwater grasses that must be protected to preserve their value as nurseries for fish and crabs. These zones also are sufficiently sheltered, within reasonable distance of off-loading sites and are not within the riparian areas of waterfront property owners.

"We want people to take advantage of this exciting opportunity, especially commercial oystermen," VMRC Fisheries Chief Jack Travelstead. "This is an incredible deal. Shellfish aquaculture is more dependable than going out and catching oysters, and reduces pressure on our wild stocks that have been suffering under the pressure of two oyster diseases. Also, we will continue to train commercial watermen in aquaculture as much as our budget allows." Read more...

The red list contains the names of products that conscientious consumers should shun. The fish used to be in the yellow list, in which the WWF recommends consumers purchase yellow-listed items only as alternatives to species on the green list, in which products deemed good for the environment. “These WWF branches are intentionally causing difficulties for Vietnam. Their information is quite groundless and goes against Vietnam’s tra fish farming which is in line with the highest international standards about responsible seafood farming,” said VASEP vice chairman Nguyen Huu Dung.

In 2010’s first 10 months, the country shipped 538,200 tonnes of the fish products, worth $1.15 billion, to 124 countries and territories worldwide, including markets like the European Union, Australia, the US and Japan. Last week, Vietnamese authorities received WWF’s information on its set of criteria about Vietnam’s tra fish. They, however, claimed the set was irrational. Read more...

Jeff Thomas, a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation and South Island director for the First Nations Fisheries Council Canada, is among those calling for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in BC to include more aboriginal perspective in the new rules that will govern aquaculture when the federal government takes over regulatory control from the province on Saturday.

DFO documents show the department worked with the First Nations Fisheries Council and Aboriginal Aquaculture Association to set up 10 community meetings to "seek input and guidance from First Nations." Reports from those meetings were considered as the regulations were developed. "Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy funding has not increased for the last 20 years, treaty negotiations are stalled ... and Canada cannot meet its basic consultation obligations with First Nations on fisheries issues," he said. Read more...

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Vietnam has won the support from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Vietnam for its request to remove its tra (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fish from the red list. WWF members in a number of European countries put Vietnam's tra fish products on the red list of its consumer guidance manual for 2010-11. But Vietnam last week requested the WWF to remove the fish from the list, which advises consumers not to buy the Vietnamese product.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said yesterday the WWF Vietnam had agreed with the ministry's request to remove the fish from the red list while further studies were conducted. The WWF's assessment of Vietnamese tra fish stocks was not comprehensive enough as it only focuses on some areas where the fish is raised, Tuan said. Tuan's remarks were echoed by Vietnamese spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga, who said in a press briefing in Ha Noi last Thursday that the WWF's findings were "inaccurate, lack scientific foundation and are at odds with the reality in Vietnam." Read more...

In 2003 Elizabeth Gosling published a comprehensive guide to bivalves called 'Bivalve Molluscs - Biology, Ecology and Culture'. This publication covers all aspects of one of the largest and most diverse yet important groups within the animal kingdom. There are over 50,000 species in the phylum and 30,000 of those are found in the sea! This book contains a great wealth of information.

Chapter one is an introduction to the subject and phylum of molluscs, describing the body plan that the group as a whole are characterised by. Bivalves are one of the most important groups within the phylum of mollusc due to the fact that they are the one that are eaten by humans in large amounts.

Chapter two looks at the morphology of bivalves, the shells, mantle, gills and foot. The internal body structure along with the heart and gonads and excretory organs are also covered. This chapter also looks at the nerves and sensory receptors, the labial palps and alimentary canal.

Chapter three looks at the ecology and global and local distribution patterns of bivalves and the phylum of molluscs. It covers the effects of temperature and salinity which are the two most important factors governing the distribution of marine organisms. It also looks at their effects on other aspects of bivalve biology.

Chapter four covers how bivalves feed, the filtration rates, body size and particle processing on the gills. Factors affecting filtration rate along with regulation of the rate of filtration and the energy costs involved. Also a closer look at the feeding biology of bivalves is covered along with the mouth and oesophagus the stomach and extracellular digestion.

Chapter five deals with reproduction, settlement and recruitment, that they have a simple reproductive system. It also covers the reproductive effort and fecundity of the bivalves, with fertilisation, larval development and dispersal, settlement and metamorphosis.

Chapter six deals with bivalve growth the methods of measuring absolute growth, growth curves and scope for growth along with factors affecting growth.

Chapters eight, nine and 10 covers fisheries, management of natural population's along with bivalve culture and genetics in aquaculture.

Chapter 11 looks at disease and parasites, covering many of the major diseases and defence mechanisms of the bivalves along with some of the parasites that infect mollusc.

Chapter 12 deals with public health, its covers the effects of bacterial and viral infections, biotoxins, and industrial pollutants. Its looks at the different assay types along with monitoring and quality control and covers the hazard analysis critical control point HAACP system.

This is an excellent book that covers the subject matter with concise and detailed information. Well written and presented and easy to understand, in my opinion a book worthy of all good student, zoologist, aqauculturist and marine scientists as well as anyone working in shellfish aquaculture - a must have book for the bookshelf.

After studying years of sea lice data, researchers have shown that rises and declines in wild pink salmon populations do not correlate with sea lice from salmon farms. "This is an important addition to the expansive body of research on sea lice in BC," said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the British Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA).

"It really shows based on more information than ever that properly managed sea lice are not the concern." "This is the connecting piece the document that looks at farmed fish and wild fish data and therefore tells the whole story rather than one side of it," said Ms Walling. "It really highlights what salmon farmers have been saying all along: that wild fish survival is a complicated issue with many factors to consider." Read more...

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